The Hunger Games Another Tribute
by Karma105
Summary: This story revolves around Auden Kwell and her quest to succeed in the Hunger Games. I don't want to give anything away, but there may be some romance and scheming going on. Check it out!
1. Chapter 1

_My name is Auden Kwell, and I am one of the contestants for this years Hunger Games. This year it's even more of a wonderful honor!_

_And by that I mean a terrible, horrible, disasterous situation._

_Let me explain. I live in district twelve...you know, known for coal mining and all that. And this year is another Quarter Quell..._

_Another Hunger Game will begin soon, and this year I will indeed partake. One of the more unfortunate parts of this particular Hunger Game is that all of the competitors were volunteered by their own districts. This hasn't been done for many years, but was revived this year. I guess the Capitol felt like going retro. This is the reason why I'm in it this year, but not for the reason you might be thinking._

_Can you imagine volunteering your own neighbors to die? Your friends? What would you do?_

_Simply do the best thing you can do, and vote for the weakest link...the one who will be missed the least. And these people in our community happen to be Eli Leone and Thisbe Krankon._

_Eli is just plain inverted. He doesn't talk to anyone at school, and he to be perfectly honest he seems like a deadbeat to me. Of course, I don't really know Eli, but the fact he doesn't make an effort irritates me. I admit that I nominated him._

_Thisbe is a cripple, considered an outcast. But then again, so am I. We both are considered outcasts, but for different reasons. Thisbe because she's a cripple and me because of my family name. The Kwell family has always been known for being a little strange, and despite me not following in my relatives foot steps it still affects my reputation. Right now you might be thinking "Wow, how unfair!" but you're guilty of doing this exact same thing. You know the kid at school with the father in jail or the mother who doesn't have a job? Don't you generalize about the kid because of his parents? Well, that's my life in a nutshell._

_My parents are very, extremely anti-capitol. The problem with this is that everybody knows this, which is really not such a great thing. The Capitol has been known to punish rebels such as my parents, which makes you think that everyone would turn anti-capitol because of that right? Wrong. So dead wrong. It makes people avoid us like the plague. Luckily, our Peacekeepers don't pay much attention to us in the Seam, but it doesn't mean we're inconspicuous. Not that I'm not anti-capitol, because I am, but I'm not very verbal about it. Unlike my parents, I'm no rebel. Full of sarcasm, yes. Full of rebellion? Not so much. Kind of suprising considering they brought me up._

_So, as you now see, I'm not too popular with the locals. When I started going to school, I was lonely. The other kids wouldn't even consider befriending me, and this is where Thisbe comes in._

_She's really the best friend you could ever wish for, seriously. She's got a great sense of humor and a heart of gold. I've never heard her say a bad thing about anyone even though everyone else has no problem making fun of her leg. Oh yeah, her leg is the crippled part of her. It's really sad, because she's completely the opposite of crippled. If her leg was normal, she'd be popular. She has the most beautiful blue eyes and long, blonde hair. Her jokes make me laugh for days, and her smile is so contagious I can't imagine ever being angry with her for long. Unfortunately, she was born with a shriveled, stumpy right leg. It's a miracle her parents didn't strike her dead on the spot. It's that contagious smile I mentioned that saved her life. Right as the docter was going to do her in, she flashed that contagious smile. Or atleast that's the way her mom tells it. Anyways, the docter was so stunned at her sudden grin, he decided she was an advanced child and might prove useful to our society. It's actually kind of fascinating how she managed to smile a day after she was born. All that I know is that most babies don't do that. So anyways, she did actually end up being more advanced, in science that is. She's really good at chemistry and loves inventing stuff. She's going to be famous in medicine I swear, she makes the best cold more importanly, she has made a truly irreplaceable sister to me. Which is why when they announced her name, I thought I might pass out._

_We both were standing in the crowd as nervous as anyone. There wasn't any true blue way to figure out who would be chosen even though it was done by vote. As we clutched eachother's hands nervously, me standing and Thisbe in her wheelchair, I had a terrible feeling in my gut._

_"And our female tribute is...Thisbe Krankton!" Lily Penelope says excitedly. She's always fakely excited, it's quite annoying...especially in this dreadful moment. As Thisbe realizes her name has been called, she nods as if she knew it was coming. There's a forced applause throughout the plaza, but I don't join in._

_"Thisbe, you can't even walk! You have to be excused!" I say, begging God to drop an answer from the sky. No such luck._

_"Audy, it's ok. I'll be strong," Thisbe says, squeezing my hand one more time before letting go. Then, with a determined look in her eye and her head held high, she wheels herself up to the top of the podium. I can't let her do this, I'll never live past seeing her thrown into an arena and certainly killed on the spot. She's the best person I know, she deserves better. _

_"By tradition, now is the point where we ask for any volunteers. So, anyone inspired?" she asks in a whimsical tone. Now I'm really annoyed._

_But also inspired._

_"I'd like to volunteer," I say before I can rethink my idea. My fear starts to build, but as soon I see the relief in her mother's eyes I know I've done the right thing. My angel will be saved. When I get to the top of the podium, I look out into the crowd and see Thisbe in her mother's tight embrace. Thisbe turns around and I look in her eyes to see what she thinks of my actions. I can tell she doesn't like it, but her gratitude shows through as well. That is, behind the tears I see welling in her eyes. She'll forgive me eventually._

_"Well isn't this just exciting! Hopefully our male tribute will be just as interesting!" Lily Penelope chirps. Ugh, how am I going to get along with this woman?_

_"The lucky man is...Eli Leone! Come on up here!" she says. I can see Eli as the crowd parts to let him through. I can't tell from looking at him, but I'm sure he's not suprised. He doesn't have any friends to not vote for him quite frankly. He doesn't even have a family to stand up for him since he's an orphan._

_"Well, would anyone like to volunteer to be our male tribute?" Lily Penelope asks the crowd. The response is one of those silences when you can hear a pin drop._

_"Ok then, we seem to have our tributes!" she says, sounding very peppy. My gosh, does she even know what she's talking about? There's more forced applause, and then Eli and I are led away to seperate rooms. Our family and friends will soon be coming to say their goodbyes, most likely their last._

_"Oh honey, why did you do that?" my mom says, biting her lip. I knew she'd react this way, and I've prepared an answer._

_"Thisbe didn't stand a chance, and she's more useful here than me anyways," I say. my mom sighs._

_"You're so brave to fight the capitol by volunteering! It's such a show of heroism!" my dad says cheerfully, but it's mock cheer. I can tell he's sad._

_"Thanks dad. Don't worry about me, it'll be ok," I said to cheer them up. I can see hope in both of their eyes._

_"If anyone can do it, you can. Auden, you're a fighter," my dad said while lovingly ruffling my long, brown hair. It's naturally wavy, so this doesn't really make much of a difference._

_"Don't fret, ok. I'll do my best for you guys," I tell them solemnly. It brings my mom to tears._

_"Your time is up," a guard comes in to say. My mom starts sobbing._

_"Come on Fresa, put on your rebel face," my dad says, grasping her hand. She half smiles at him, and then they both embrace me._

_"We love you sweetheart," my dad says. I can see my mom nod through the tears._

_"I love you guys too," I say as they leave. As they exit, Thisbe and he mom enter._

_"Oh Auden, this is awful!" her mom says, hugging me. Thisbe wheels up beside us._

_"You're right mom, this is awful. How could you?" she asks me, but not with malice._

_"Thisy, I love you. I couldn't let them take you. Besides, you have to stay here and make breakthrough medical discoveries for me, okay?" I explain to her, almost smiling. She nods._

_"I will, I promise," she says. I'm satisfied._

_"I know you will. Mrs. Krankon, you make sure she does," I insist. I see a flash of pride in her eyes._

_"I will Auden, I will."_

_"Well then, this is it," Thisbe says. She doesn't tear up, it's not in her nature, but I see she's very unsettled._

_"Bye, dear," Mrs. Krankon says, leaning in and hugging me. Then she leaves, and I know she's crying. Unlike Thisbe, it's very in her nature to cry at pretty much anything slightly emotional._

_"You've been the best sister ever," I tell her. _

_"No, you have been the best sister. I couldn't have asked for better," she says, holding out her arms for a hug. I close the gap and hold her close. For a moment, everything is fine again. But then she's wisked away, and I'm alone. So starts the end of my life._


	2. Chapter 2

_I hate being wrong, I really do. I mean, what wants to be wrong? Especially if you being wrong hurts someone else?_

_Well, as it turns out, Eli Leone is not an inverted creep. He's the friendliest person on this stinking train._

_"So you want to be an artist?" I ask him._

_"I wanted to be an artist, yes."_

_"Well, I can see we're not trying to be optimistic."_

_"I'm just rational," he replies. I understand that completely. In fact, I totally respect that._

_"It's nice to see we're on the same page," I say to him. He nods solemnly. His solemness reminds me of the reality: I'm going to have to kill him or be killed by him. Or we'l both just die. Awesome._

_"I'm kind of glad it was me that was chosen, since I don't have anyone back home to miss me. It's comforting that atleast less pain will be caused," he says. This is terrible. He's nice AND humble. I can't make a friendship with him, or I'll never be able to do what I have to._

_"Yeah, I'm glad you were chosen too. I nominated you," I say with venom, hoping the comment will stick. Sure enough, his eyes fill with hurt._

_"I'm not suprised, but I'm trying to be nice to you. You could atleast have the decency to return the favor."_

_"Not my style," I say, stalking off to my bedroom. I know that was harsh, and I would never mean any of it. However, I figure ripping off the band aid is easier than peeling it off slowly. Pushing this into the back of my mind, I sit on the plush bed and try to figure out how I'm going to survive._

_I'm not really good at anything in particular...or am I?_

_I've never shot and arrow in my life, and I definitely wouldn't be any good at throwing spears. I'm not particularly strong either, so hands on combat will be no good. _

_Oh wait, there is one thing I can do._

_Sword fighting._

_I've long forgotten this talent of mine, but I remember I used to be good. I learned from...my brother. I don't really like talking about him because his death was painful, but he did teach me a valuable thing or two before the mines exploded._

_He always thought it was important to survive. My family has always been lucky enough to never need to illegally hunt or get tessarae. This is because my dad's best friend became a winner of the hunger games about twenty five years ago, and he gives us an ample supply of whatever we need. My dad and him aren't as close anymore because he chose to embrace a more Capitol lifestyle, but we still accept his help. _

_Anyways, back to my brother. He used to hunt in the woods for sport on Sundays, and he'd bring me along. Hollis, that's his name, was an excellent huntsman. He tried to teach me his skills, but they just wouldn't stick. He tried every advanced weapon we had access to, but nothing worked until he brought out the sword._

_"It's so primitive, and I've never been any good with it. But I suppose it's worth a shot, and it's your last chance to prove your worth runt," he said to me. I hated his nickname for me, but at the same time I liked it because it was the only way he showed affection to me. As he handed me the sword, I could feel myself become strong. I won't go into detail about him training me with it, because I truly trained myself. It came naturally, and was the only thing that did for me. _

_Ok, so getting a sword will be my best bet. I don't have to worry about food so much, as long as there's ample fruits and plants in the arena. My brother wasn't only a great huntsman but also an intelligent gatherer. This, fortunately, stuck in my brain._

_"Auden, time for dinner," a voice said. It seemed to be coming from some kind of intercom, and I didn't like the fact there was no person talking to me face to face. However, I suppose the Capitol has all sort of these fancy things, and I don't want to appear to be weak because I'm afraid the intercom is a trap. That'd make me look really stupid._

_"How nice of you to join us!" a man I didn't recognize at first said._

_"Uhm, thanks..."_

_"I'm Harpon Legazee, you're mentor," he said, motioning for me to sit next to him. Of course he's Harpon Legazee, how silly of me not to recognize him. First the intercom, now this. I feel adaquately dumb._

_"Dinner is served!" A jolly looking chef said as Avox people walked in with trays. I tried to smile at the one who gave me my dinner, but she looked away promptly._

_"So, let's get down to business. What are your talents?" Harpon asks us. _

_"I'm good with a sword," I tell him, trying to put my best foot forward. He nods approvingly. _

_"That might definitely come in handy. So Eli, what's your talent?"_

_"I'm an artist," he simply stated. I almost laugh, but then I remember we're not going to be friends._

_"Anything else you can do?" Harpon asks him, barely winking an eye at the joking remark Eli made. Harpon is all business, good to know._

_"Well...not that I know of," Eli says, grabbing a roll from the basket. I follow suit, realizing how hungry I am._

_"Well...I'm sure you'll be good at something. Training will start tomorrow right after the train stops at the Capitol, which will probably be around noon. So enjoy the ride," Harpon says, abruptly leaving the table and taking a sandwich with him._

_"Ok then, that's odd," Eli remarks. I ignore him, and he notices. I can tell because his slight smiles turns into a frown._

_"Well, I think I'll be leaving too," I say, grabbing a couple more rolls and walking back to my room to eat them. Better to distance myself from the begining. After about ten minutes of eating by myself sitting in bed, I hear a knock on my door._

_"Uh...hello?" I ask, not expecting a visitor._

_"Auden, can I come in?" Eli asks from behind the door._

_"Nope," I reply. He decides to come in anyways._

_"Before you accuse me of being hard of hearing, I simply decided to ignore your request," he says, coming in and sitting on the end of my bed. I put on my best mean face._

_"My mother taught me that it's rude to ignore people when they're speaking to you."_

_"You had no problem ignoring me at dinner," he says. Oh crap._

_"Well...I..."_

_"Look, I don't know why you're acting this way, but you need to stop. It's really marshing my mellow."_

_"Marshing your mellow?"_

_"Ugh, look. I'm going to sit here until you apologize and I refuse to leave until you do so," he says, crossing his arms. I do the same, feeling especially stubborn at this sudden outburst._

_"You'll be waiting until you grow a beard, so I suggest you give up," I say, but I don't get a response. Fine, if he wants to play that game, I'll play just as hard. After staring at him for about twenty silent minutes, I find myself dozing off._


	3. Chapter 3

_"Good morning Auden, time for breakfast!" I hear a cheerful voice say over the intercom. I'm really starting to hate that stupid thing. _

_As I get up, I notice that Eli must have given up. Ha. I suppose I'll have to try and look decent, so I go explore the bathroom and find myself in the shower getting a massage while some kind of mechanical hands rub shampoo in my hair. This I could actually get used to._

_"How did you sleep Auden?" Harpon asks me as he puts down his coffee mug. And this wasn't a friendly inquisition, it was tinged with murerous acusation._

_"Fine," I say, confused. Eli walks in just as I finish my reply._

_"Oh, and I suppose Eli slept fine as well?" he asks me. Eli looks just as confused as me._

_"How am I supposed to know that? We sleep in seperate rooms!" I reply, angrily. But then I have one of those lightbulb moments._

_"It doesn't seem like either of you are bothering to abide by that," Harpon says. Eli suddenly gets it too._

_"Eli, did you fall asleep in my room?" I ask him. He sighs._

_"Yeah, I did."_

_"Well, atleast you're both honest."_

_"But it's not what you're thinking!" I protest._

_"She's right, I'll explain...," Eli says, but Harpon interupts him. _

_"Look, getting all cosy before the games is not going to help you win, so do yourselves a favor and quit it," Harpon says, abruptly leaving the table for the second time within twenty four hours. I'm starting to think that guy has anger management issues. It almost makes me wish I could have my dad's friend as a mentor, but then I immediately take back that though. Although he won, it was pure luck. He happened to have stumbled to the opposite side of the arena than all the others and the Gamemakers let loose a ravinous pack of porcupines on the other end that killed all the other tributes. You're laughing, but when you run into a mutated, carnivorous porcupine see if you still have a sense of humor. Truthfully, my dad's friend is kind of a weakling. He got super lucky._

_"I disagree with Harpon," Eli says. _

_"I agree. It'd be easier to enter the arena with nobody tieing you down. No friends is my philosophy," I tell him matter of factly. He suddenly seems more cheerful._

_"So that's why you suddenly started being all bitchy."_

_"What?"_

_"You don't want any allies."_

_"I don't want to feel guilty about having to kill you!" I say crankily. _

_"Can we think about that part later? I think that if we go into there together, we could be a great team. We might not die right away!" he says optimistically. I make a face._

_"I just don't want any friends. It'll be harder."_

_"Entering the arena with a partner should give you hope. Two is always better than one," he comments. This shouldn't have moved me, but it did. Thisbe said the exact same thing to me the day we met._

_"Hey, can I sit with you?" she asked me at lunchtime. I hesitated to say yes._

_"You sure you want to sit with me?" I asked her. She smiled._

_"Two is always better than one, right?" she asked. I nodded, and we'd been best friends ever since._

_"Auden, do you want to?" he asked me, looking confused. I must have spaced out._

_"Sorry, what?"_

_"Do you want to be allies?" he asked earnestly. I looked at his friendly face and I couldn't find the word no in my mind._

_"It could be for the best," I say, holding out my hand to shake one it. He had no problem grasping my hand to make the pact that would either help us survive or initiate our doom._


	4. Chapter 4

_When I'm walking to training with Eli, I feel nervous. Afterall, I have no idea if I'll even be able to do anything! Eli is confident in himself that he has nothing to contribute, so that's just lovely. I need my allies to be a little more positive that that. Then again, why should we be?_

_"Welcome to training!" some tall, muscly guy says to us. We nod._

_"What excatly are we supposed to do?" Eli asks. Tall Guy, I decide to call him this, explains eagerly._

_"It's quite simple. There are stations set up all around here and you just pick the ones you want. Choose wisely, because you'll be performing for the Gamemakers tomorrow," he says, pointing towards the stations. I notice pretty much all of the districts have already taken up a position at the numerous stations._

_"Well Eli, what should we do?" I ask him, but my question seems to be for nobody in particular as Eli walks curiously over to the camoflage station._

_"Hi, what do I do here?" he asks the teacher. The woman looks up at Eli, suprised to see anyone._

_"Uh...you camoflage yourself?" she says, confused. He nods._

_"Teach me."_

_"Oh, okay!" she says, suddenly brightening. I join him here, but I'm really not very good at it. Eli however, is the most amazing thing I've ever seen._

_"You are so good at this, young man," the teacher says to Eli. He looks proud._

_"I think this might be the only thing though," he says glumly. She shakes her head._

_"If you can camoflage yourself, you show cunning. Cunning comes in handy," she says encouragingly. I didn't really expect her to be too helpful, but Eli looks cheerier._

_"You've been quite a help, thanks so much!" Eli says, motioning for us to leave. I'm happy to move on without hearing anymore from this woman, but she has one more word of advice._

_"If I were you, Eli Leone, I'd stick to the forests," she says quietly. Eli looks stunned, and I'm sure I do too._

_"How do you know the arena is going to be a forest?" he asks her. She winks at him._

_"I have my sources," she says smiling. He nods his thanks as he and I move on to another station: archery. But before we get there, I realize Eli's talent._

_"Eli, you're proving to be a very valuable ally."_

_"Oh yeah, if we want to hide the whole time, we'll be all good."_

_"That's not such a bad idea, but that's not what I'm thinking."_

_"Oh? And what are you thinking?"_

_"I'm thinking that you might be one of the most charismatic people I will ever know. That woman barely knew you and she was revealing secrets."_

_"Huh. I guess so," he says, not sounding convinced._

_"Eli Leone, let's teach you some hunting skills to go with all that charm," I say, pulling him towards the archery station. It's kind of just a feeling, but I think he might actually be good at this._

_"Hello, tributes. Want to try your luck at archery?" the teacher asks us. Eli doesn't move while I nod vigorously._

_"Teach him," I say, pushing Eli forward. It's kind of amusing how he doesn't argue._

_"Alright, let's see what you've got," the man says, handing Eli an bow and arrow. Eli seems to know how to knock the arrow and the form he's got to have. As he releases his arrow it's no bullseye, but atleast it hits the target._

_"How was that?" he asks. The teacher seems to be thinking._

_"Give me an hour, and I'll harness that potential," the man says, smiling encouragingly. Gee, Eli just has everyone helping him out._

_"Uh...ok?" Eli replies, looking at me for some kind of response. I shrug._

_"I'm going to go over to the knot tieing station, I'll meet you back here in an hour," I tell him, running off before he can argue._

_"Hello, Miss Kwell, would you like to tie some knots?" the woman sitting at the station asks me. I find it kind of weird that she knows my name._

_"How do you know my name?" I ask her. She laughs._

_"I make it my business to know all my tributes before they arrive," she replies, handing me a piece of rope._

_"Ok. Well then maybe you know I can't tie a knot to save my life," I tell her. She looks me straight in the eyes, and I begin to feel a little violated. As if she's looking at my soul or something._

_"You might not now, but in thirty minutes you will," she says, smiling at me. I shake the feelings I had a second before, and immerse myself in the learning process. In no time, I've picked up on everything she's taught me._

_"Well, thanks," I say to her, awkwardly._

_"You're welcome, Auden Kwell," she says, taking out a novel and begining to read it. What, no helpful hints?_

_It looks like Eli is still getting the hang of the bow, so I decide to face my fears and go to the swordsplay station. The Careers had these overtaken in the begining, but they've all moved on now to other stations._

_"Hello, miss. You ready to take on a sword?" the teacher asks me skeptically. It must be the fact that I'm not all that strong looking that makes her wary. _

_"Yeah, I'd like to give it a shot," I say, taking a sword from the rack. The teacher looks even more skeptical now._

_"Are you sure you want that sword? It's not really for beginners," the man says. I can feel the power I wield, and now I know that it's truly my gift._

_"Who says I'm a beginner?" I ask as I disarm the teacher with ease. He looks genuinely shocked._

_"I'm sorry...I just..."_

_"What can you teach me?" I ask him. He assumes teacher mode, and after thirty more minutes he and I are having a sword fight. I wonder if this is normal?_

_"Are you ready?" he says wickedly. I love his confidence, it makes me even more excited to beat him._

_"Oh, I am so ready," I say as he makes the first move. I counter, and in about five minutes his sword is on the ground and I've got him right right under my point._

_"Impressive, young girl," he says, surrendering. I smile._

_"And that, is how you do it," I say, grinning. I hear applause, and I see that everyone has stopped what they were doing to watch me. I see Eli coming towards me from the archery station, but there's also another person rapidly approaching._

_"Hello Auden Kwell, I'm Nico McGrady," the handsome boy says. Oh boy is he handsome. I'm not usually boy crazy, but this guy could make any girl's heart flutter. I ingore that and put on my game face._

_"Hello Nico. Can I help you?"_

_"Actually, yes. I'd like to make you an offer."_

_"What exactly would you like to offer?"_

_"An offer of alliance," he says, extending his hand. I'm extremely suprised, considering he's a Career and almost always they make a pact with eachother._

_"What's the catch?" I ask._

_"No catch. Just an alliance."_

_"I'll have to consult my friend first," I say as Eli joins me._

_"What about a friend?" Eli asks._

_"Nico McGrady has offered to become an ally. And I told him I'd have to consult you first."_

_"You made an alliance with this guy?" Nico asks, seeming suprised. Nico chuckles and Eli glares at him._

_"Is there a problem?" I ask Nico. Eli looks glad I stood up for him._

_"Sorry, I should have assumed you and your boyfriend here would be buddy buddy."_

_"We're not a couple," we both say in unison._

_"Alright then, whatever. So are we allies or not?" Nico asks. Nico seems strong and smart, which is a good combination. Plus, he's blunt. Not beating around the bush could be a helpful contribution to our team. Wow, I can't believe I'm making a team._

_"What do you think Eli?"_

_"I don't know..."_

_"Come on, you know I'd be a good asset," Nico insists. I nod, and Eli sighs._

_"Fine," Eli says._

_"I agree. It's settled then," I say, grabbing his extended hand and shaking. Nico grins at me, and suprisingly I blush. I never blush, what's with me? Nico lets go and shakes on it with Eli too, although Eli looks extremely skeptical._

_"Well then, amigos, I'll be seeing you in the arena," he says, walking back to the careers as if nothing happened. I realize to everyone else, nothing had happened. Nobody had paid attention to our conversation. That's probably for the best._

_"Alright, training is over. Tomorrow you will present your talent to the Gamemakers. Get a good nights rest, you'll need it," Tall Guy says, leading the group of tributes to the exit. We all leave and go to our corresponding rooms. Harpon greets us in the elevator. _

_"So, how'd it go?"_

_"Pretty well actually, I can shoot with an arrow now," Eli says._

_"Good, we made an ally," I tell him. He looks extrememly interested._

_"With whom?"_

_"Nico McGrady," I tell him. He nods his approval._

_"Good choice, he's one of the top contenders."_

_"Really?" I ask him. He nods._

_"Plus he's such a pretty boy all the sponsers will be drooling over him," Eli mutters._

_"Exactly, Eli. This is important. You have to appeal to the sponsers. Speaking of such, your makeovers await you," Harpon says, chuckling. Eli and I are not happy with this._

_"Why do we have to do this?" I ask him. _

_"To appeal to the crowd, the Gamemakers, and the sponsers," he says matter of factly. Eli nods._

_"When do we start?" he asks him._

_"Right now," Harpon says, leading us into a room with two excentric looking people. One is a woman with electric blue hair and tribal looking tattoos all over her body in the same color. The other is a man who has golden hair and bright red eyes. This should be scary, but he actually appealed more to me that the woman. Atleast his hair was semi normal._

_"These are your stylists, Diedre and Franko. Diedre will style you, Auden, and Franko will style you, Eli."_

_"Come on Auden, we have a ton of work to do!" Diedre says, hooking her arm on mine and dragging me towards what I assume will be one of the more painful experiances in my life. Eli mouths good luck, and I do the same. Who knows if I'll even be recognizable when we next see eachother._


	5. Chapter 5

_"Ouch," I mutter as one of the stylist's assistant, I think she said her name was Clairy, plucks my eyebrows._

_"Sorry honey, beauty is pain," she says, laughing. Everyone else in the room but me joins in._

_"Which means your hair must have been painless," I say under my breath. Maybe here in the Capitol flamingo pink pigtails might be sexy, but back home you'd be more of an outcast than Thisbe. _

_"Don't worry, you're waxing is done," Diedre says, comforting me. Diedre has been super nice to me, and once you get past the crazy hair she's quite pretty._

_"Thank goodness," I say, sighing relief. I'm not quite sure why I didn't put up more of a fight. I guess it's because all thse stylists look so excited and I don't want to be a kill joy. Unless they decide to die my hair fire truck red or something, then I'll be more than happy to be a kill joy._

_"Oh, you look just stunning! All that natural beauty, you lucky girl," another assistant says. I didn't catch her name._

_"Oh...thanks," I say, trying to look excited. Which is really hard after all the waxing and plucking. Also my nails are now shaped and painted red and my hair has been styled. I have no clue what I look like though because Diedre insisted on the element of suprise._

_"Here's your dress sweetie," Diedre says, revealing the outfit I'll have to wear for the tribute unveiling. When I catch of glimpse of it, my girly side comes out with a vengence._

_"Oh wow, that's for me?" I ask. She grins widely at me._

_"Of course Auden, you have to look your best," she says as she slips it over my head, careful not to ruin my updo._

_"Thank you Diedre," I say, smiling with genuine affection...which is not really my usual for most people. She looks really happy._

_"Wait till you see yourself!" she say, taking the curtain off of a huge mirror on the wall. _

_"Diedre...is that me?"_

_"Oh yes, dear, it's you."_

_"Holy shit."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"Oh, sorry. I mean...wow."_

_"You're welcome."_

* * *

_As I walk out with Diedre to find the District Twelve chariot, I find myself tripping over my dress. Pretty? Oh yes. Practical? Not so much._

_"Try not to ruin the dress!" she says, sounding concerned. _

_"I'm doing my best, I've never worn heels," I say, tripping again._

_"Oh my, you children in District Twelve don't get to have any fun!" she says, chuckling. I try to pretend I think that's funny, but truly I'm just aggravated. Just because she's lived in the lap of luxary doesn't mean she can poke fun at my upbringing._

_"Ugh, I'm never going to get used to these shoes!" I mutter. As I say this, I trip over my dress yet again and fall on my butt._

_"Here, let me help you," a familiar voice says from behind me. As I turn around, I become speechless._

_"Thanks Eli," I say, staring at his face intently. It's hard to recognize him behind all the makeup. It's kind of weird to see anyone back at home wearing any makeup, especially a guy, but this just seems right._

_"The eyeshadow's kind of weird huh?" he asks. I have to laugh._

_"In most circumstances, yes. It suits you for the occasion though," I say to him, still staring at his eyes. They're lined with black eye liner and his eye shadow looks like a fire blazing around his grey eyes. The reason this really stands out is because his whole face is covered in black makeup. Come to think of it, he's all black. He's wearing a tight fitting black shirt with black pants and a flaming cape. It's not literally flaming, like I heard once happened in the past, but it's patterned like fire. I realize that my dress, also patterned to look like flames, compliments this very well. _

_"Oh dear, I totally forgot! The makeup!" Diedre says, looking very frustrated. I frown._

_"Makeup?"_

_"Oh yes, I'll have to call the girls straight away!" she says, pulling out what looks like a walkie talkie. She mutters something into it, and a minute later the same stylists as before pull out their supplies and get to work. When I'm done, it looks just like Eli's except with fake "flame" eyelashes._

_"Well, don't you two look fabulous!" Diedre says as she waves us off. The parading has begun. I can't imagine what the Capitol audience will look like until I see it._

_"Oh wow, that's a lot of people," I murmer. Eli nods his agreement._

_"It's kind of freaking me out," he says. I laugh._

_"Hey, they're probably all a bunch of wussies. We could totally kick their butts," I say, punching him lightly on the shoulder. He laughs, and I notice a lot of eyes suddenly intentionally staring at us._

_"Is it just me or is everyone looking at us now?" he asks me._

_"I think they are. Huh."_

_"Do you think it's because..."_

_"Don't be crazy, it's because we look fabulous."_

_"Well, let's test it out," he says, putting his arm around me. I try to shrug it off, but he's firmly stuck on me. _

_"What do you think you're doing?" I ask him._

_"Look around," he says, pointing to the crowd. All eyes are on us.._

_"Oh, I see...we're 'appealing to the sponsers'," I whisper to him._

_"Yup, so smile wave like you're having the time of your life," He whispers back, waving at the crowd and blowing kisses. I do the same, and in the end, the crowd loves us. Harpon better be damn happy when we get back._

* * *

_"Hey, Auden," someone yells out to me as I try to get out of the chariot without falling on my face. Unfortunately, the distraction was all I needed to lose my balance._

_"Wow, how stupid was that?" I think to myself as the voice approaches. _

_"Let me help you up," two voices say at the same time. I look up to see both Eli and Nico holding out a hand to me. Nico looks amazing in his costume, a skin tight leotard that glitters like the diamonds his district is famous for. I get distracted by his sparkling attire and his perfect smile. I find myself grabbing his hand instead of Eli's. Kind of a big mistake._

_"Thanks," I say quietly, seeing the annoyance on Eli's face. Nico looks pleased._

_"No problem," he says, brushing a piece of hair out of my face. Huh?_

_"What do you want?" Eli asks him._

_"Just to give you guys a pat on the back. The whole 'best friends' thing out there really worked the crowd. We'll have sponsors in no time."_

_"Right, well thanks. We have to go now, but see you tomorrow at the interviews Mr. Flashy Pants," Eli says, walking away and assuming I'm following him. I stay put, confused._

_"Better catch up with your boyfriend, sweetheart. See you tomorrow," Nico says, strutting off in the opposite direction._

_"He's not my boyfriend!" I say, but if Nico hears me, he doesn't make it clear. I frustratingly follow Eli back to our place._

_"What was that back there? He's our ally!" I exclaim as soon as we're securly in the elavator with Harpon._

_"What happened?" he asks Eli._

_"There's something fishy about Nico. I don't trust him."_

_"Well you'd better start trusting him, because he could be the reason you two survive!" Harpon says harshly. Eli seems to have calmed down._

_"Fine," he says, crossing his arms._

_"Hey, it was only fair I let him help me up. You already helped me earlier," I say to him, trying to smooth it over. Eli nods but I get the feeling he doesn't believe that a word I've said it the truth. Of course, he's right. I'm not really sure why I reached out to Nico instead of Eli._

_"Make sure you both are up and ready by two o'clock. Promptly. You have your session with the Gamemakers and then your interviews later," Harpon says, waving a goodnight. We both wave back, but he's already gone._


	6. Chapter 6

_When I woke up this morning to find a note on my bedside table. It reads as follows:_

_Dear Auden,_

_After your session with the Gamemakers please report to the styling room from your makeover to get ready for the interviews. Your outfit for the session is in the closet. Good luck!_

_~ Deidre_

_The letter seems to be handwritten, but the script is so fancy I can barely read it. How fair is it that while everyone back home is working the Capitol people are practicing they're fancy writing?_

_I put this angry thought aside and get dressed and ready for the gamemakers. I leave my hair as is and put on the simple outfit Diedre has provided. It's a fitted black tank top with fitted black pants to match. Thankfully, she left me black ballet slippers instead of stilettos._

_"Looks like we match again," Eli says cheerfully, appearing at breakfast wearing a fitted black t shirt and fitted black pants, but not as fitted as mine. I laugh, forgetting all about last night's fiasco._

_"We're quite the pair," I say to him. He smiles, and I'm relieved he doesn't seem to be remembering last night either._

* * *

_"Auden Kwell," a servant says as he comes in from the big doors to get me to go see the Gamemakers. I try to confidantly follow him as he leads me to the stadium I'll be performing in, but I'm nervous as hell._

_"Thank you," I say politely as he opens another large door for me to go through. As I enter the stadium, I see all the familiar stations. The only different thing is that now there's a panal of Capitol people waiting to judge me._

_"You may begin, Auden Kwell," one of the people on the panal says. I nod and head over to the sword station to do the only thing I know I can do. The problem is, now I have nobody to spar with. What am I supposed to do?_

_"Permission to speak to the panal," I ask, unsure of what I'm about to do. They all look confused, but one of them speaks up. The fat man who told me I could start._

_"Permission granted," he says, looking curious about what my words will be._

_"I'd like to request a sparing partner," I say nervously. The panal looks intrigued._

_"Sparing partner granted," the fat man says, snapping his fingers. Suddenly a buff looking man appears from the floor as if a panal has opened and released him. Then I realize that's exactly what'd happened._

_"I will crush you now," the buff man says. I start to wonder what kind of human could have muscles like that, and then I realize none. Where his eyes should be there are beady, red blinking lights. They remind me of lasers._

_"Let's dance, Metal Man," I say, acting overly confidant. And with that said, the droid moves forward to attack. Our swords meet and I can feel the power of the Metal Man. He might be a fake, but he's a darn good one. What was was I thinking? I'll never beat this guy._

_He suddenly strikes out and I dart to the side. He looks confused for a moment but then his blinking eyes find me again. He strikes out quickly and hits his target. Blood oozes from my arm where he's made a deep gash. I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wonder if they allow contestants to die during the trials._

_"She's not going to win, stop the droid," a man on the panel says. The man next to him nods in agreement, but the fat man ignores them._

_"Let us see," he says. And with that, the Metal Man aims for me again, but I counter attack doing the trick I used to disarm the teacher the day before. Unfortunately, Metal Man has an iron grip on his sword and this doesn't do a thing. I retreat, rolling to the left. Metal Man loses sight of me, but finds me again about two seconds later. And that's when it hits me._

_He may be stronger, but I'm faster._

_I quickly take in his stance: shoulders held high, legs apart, sword at the ready. Then, I know what I have to do. I run over to the camoflage station and grab a bucket of red paint._

_"Eat paint metal brain!" I yell, throwing the stuff at him. For a moment, he's confused. And this is the moment I choose to throw my sword under him and roll between his legs. As I come up out of the somersault, I grab my sword. He's looking for me, but it's too late. I stab him straight in the back and he crumples to the ground. As I wipe the sweat off my forehead, I see that the panal looks extremely impressed._

_"Thank you, Auden Kwell," the fat man says, dismissing me. I bow towards them for some reason, and then exit. As I'm leaving, I hear the fat man talking to the others._

_"Cunning and reasourceful. And quick. Very impressive," he says sounding pleased. He was right, and who doesn't love to be right?_

_"That droid cost us thousands of dollars," one of the men mutters. There's more murmering, but I'm out of earshot already._

* * *

_Eli has left, so I return to go get ready for the interviews alone. Diedre and the stylists greet me as I enter the makeover room._

_"Hi honey," Diedre says, ushering me into a salon chair._

_"Hi Diedre."_

_"Oh dear, Auden. You need a shower before I'll even touch you! Go shower, quickly!" she says, wrinkling her nose as if I smell like rotten garbage. I don't smelll that bad do I?_

_I do as she says, and when I return she looks much peppier._

_"Ok Auden, we're going to work with your wavy hair and put you into something so hip you'll be the apple of every boys eyes!" she says, grabbing a makeup brush and begining to attack my face. Her sylists follow suit, eager to make me over again. There's suprisingly quick, and as I look into the mirror my face is transformed again._

_"Here's the dress Diedre," one of the stylists says, holding up a garment bag. Diedre looks excited to reveal her masterpiece._

_"Alright Auden, here it is!" she says, unveiling the dress. I think it weighs more than I do._

_"Wow, it's...feathery?"_

_"Yes, Auden. The feathers are coordinated to look like fluttering flames. Isn't it lovely?" she asks me. I have to nod, but I'm still worried about how I'm going to walk in it. All my worries fade as she slips in over me._

_"Oh, it's not heavy."_

_"Nope, light as a feather!" she says, laughing her head off. As I look in the mirror, I have to admit I look pretty cool. It's over the top, but it also kind of makes me feel...special._

* * *

_"You look..."_

_'Pretty," Eli says, finishing Harpon's sentence. I give them a twirl for extra measure._

_"I feel rediculous," I say to them. _

_"The Capitol people will love it," Eli says._

_"Speaking of that, I have an idea for your interview," Harpon says, reaching into his pocket and taking out two defective looking rings. He gives one to each of us._

_"Uh...what is it?" I ask Harpon. _

_"These are your district trinkets," he says, bringing both of the rings together to reveal that when you combine the symbol on my ring and the symbol on Eli's ring they make a mockingjay. I'd seen them used as symbols before but I'd never imagined actually using one._

_"So we're presenting ourselves as a team?" Eli asks Harpon._

_"Not only a team, but as friends. Best friends. The sponsers and the Captiol people have always loved that kind of thing," Harpon says eagerly. I wonder if he means just friendship, or more._

_"That's kind of brilliant. That has worked in the past," Eli says, looking hopeful. I have to agree, but I'm still silently wondering if Harpons hoping some kind of magic will happen._

_"Thank you, Eli. You two have to go now, but remember to get Link Magoo to ask you about your trinket!" Harpon says, ushering us out of the room._

_"Who's Link Magoo?" I ask Eli as we're escorted down the corridor by an Avox girl._

_"He's the interviewer," Eli says. Oh, ok. So we have to get this guy to ask us about our rings. No problem...I think._

* * *

_As I take my seat next to Eli's, I get nervous all over again. Aren't we supposed to be prepped a little better for these interviews? As Link Magoo gets started, all the other tributes seem super well prepared. Nico is dressed handomely for the occasion, as similiar outfit to yesterday, but with a flashy cape and silver hair as well. I can see some of his blonde poking through, so I know it must be temporary._

_"Next up we have Eli Leone from Distrcit Twelve!" Link Magoo announces. A round of applause erupts in the stadium, which makes me more nervous than ever. Link seems to like Eli as they talk about home and his interests, which mainly revolved around art. Suddenly, I see Eli fidget with the ring on his finger. This doesn't pass by Link._

_"So, what's the ring on your finger? A promise ring perhaps?" he asks Eli. _

_"A kind of promise ring I suppose."_

_"Well then, tell us all about it!" Link says, thinking he hit the jackpot. It's always a tradgedy when tributes have lovers back home or, even worse,with them in the arena._

_"It's a promise I made with Auden. You see, we're both good friends and we don't want to forget what's important."_

_"Which is?" Link asks._

_"Friendship and family. We don't want to forget out home."_

_"So...what exactly is the symbol on there?" Link asks._

_"When Auden and I combine our rings, it makes a mockingjay," Eli tells him. Link looks interested._

_"Your time is pretty much up anyways, let's have our last tribiute, Auden Kwell, come on up!" he says, inviting me to have my interview. Before Eli leaves, Link insists we show him our symbol._

_"Well isn't that just great? Two friends remembering what they love. Let's hear it for District Twelve!" Link says, dismissing Eli. He gently grabs my hand and squeezes it for luck before he goes back to sit down. I hear a chorus of "Awww" thorughout the whole stadium. Eli's darn good at this friends thing._

_"So Auden, your dress is quite spectacular? Do you like it?"_

_"Oh yes. My stylists, especially Diedre, have really been so kind to me," I reply. Link keeps spouting questions, and I try my best to answer them in an 'appealing' way._

_"How did you get the scar on your arm?" Link asks, pointing to where I was slashed by the droid. The medical staff had healed the wound, but a light scar remained._

_"During my session with the Gamemakers."_

_"Why don't you tell us about it?" he asks. I almost do, but then I remember how forbidden it is to talk about such things._

_"Uhm...I don't think I'm allowed to," I say to him._

_"Oh well, that seems to be time up anyways! Thank you tributes for coming out tonight!" Link says, waving goodbye as we all leave the stadium to go back to our temporary homes. _

* * *

_"What did you do Eli?" I ask him as he, Harpon, and I sit on the couch watching the flat screen TV to see what scores we got. _

_"I did some camoflage and then shot some targets. Not super interesting to them probably, but I got a lot of bullseyes. What'd you do?" he asks. I can tell Harpon is listening to us even though his eyes are fixed on the screen._

_"I did some sword fighting with a droid of some sort," I say. Suddenly, Link Magoo appears on the screen to announce the scores. This year they're all suprisingly high, nobody getting lower than a seven. Nico gets a nine, which is encouraging. Eli's score is a nine as well, which shocks him more than anything._

_"Nice job, Eli," Harpon says. _

_"Uhm...thanks," Eli says, watching the screen to see my score. It's the shocker of the night._

_"A...ten?" I say in disbelief. I guess when fat man said I impressed him, he meant it._

_"Nice job Auden!" Eli says, giving me a hug. At first I'm stiff, but I hug him back. Harpon gives us an approving look._

_"Good job guys, I'm proud," he says, getting up._

_"Is this goodbye?" I ask him. He nods._

_"I won't be seeing you tomorrow. Someone will come and escort you to the arena loading area. I'll be schmoozing the sponsers."_

_"Well...thanks Harpon," Eli says, shaking his hand. I do the same._

_"You've been good tributes, may the odds be in your favor," Harpon says, leaving us alone. This reminds me how soon it will be just be, Eli, and Nico...in the arena._


	7. Chapter 7

_That night I can't sleep, so I get up and stroll the corridors. _

_Will I die tomorrow?_

_Are my mom and dad ok?_

_How's Thisbe?_

_What's going to happen?_

_These thoughts and more go through my mind as I walk back and forth down the hall. I decide pacing is useless, so I explore around the building. I find out that I've actually been all the places that I have access to. That is, until I see a staircase. I wonder if I should try it, when I realize I've got nothing to lose. _

_"Can't sleep either?" Eli asks at the top of the steps. I'm suprised to see him._

_"Uhm..yeah," I say to him. Eli goes and sits on the edge of the building, and I follow him._

_"I wonder what will happen tomorrow?" Eli ponders outloud._

_"I was thinking about the same thing," I reply even though I'm not sure if it was a question._

_"I know you're going to be mad at me, but I have to say what I'm thinking. I really don't trust Nico," Eli says, looking at me. _

_"We have to trust him, we agreed upon an alliance."_

_"Alliances are always broken during the Hunger Games."_

_"Eli stop being jelous and just deal with it. We're a team, and teams work together," I say angrily. Eli looks taken back. I'm not quite sure about my wording here._

_"I just thought I'd be honest..."_

_"No Eli, you're annoying me. Good night," I say, going back the way I came. Eli doesn't try to follow me, and I'm quite happy about it._

* * *

_I go to bed and get a restless night of sleep. I kind of wish I'd been able to get more sleep, because I have a feeling I'll need it. When I get up, Eli is sitting at the table eating breakfast._

_"Let's put last night behind us, we really need to be together out there in the arena," he says, looking glum. I wonder why, but I'm just relieved he thinks that way._

_"Ok, that's for the best," I reply. That's about all the talking we do. I don't know why he isn't saying much, but for me I know it's because I'm getting really nervous. _

_"Eli Leone and Auden Kwell?" a young looking woman asks as she enters the room. _

_"The only ones I know of," Eli says to her, smirking. I laugh at his goofiness. She looks slightly amused too._

_"Time to go."_

_"Alright then, lead the way," I say to her. She smiles kindly and leads us out onto the roof. Instead of being barren like last night there's a helicopter waiting._

_"Wow this is so cool!" Eli says, forgetting that this ride will take us to our deaths. The woman laughs._

_"I'm glad you're enjoying it," she says, looking genuinely suprised and happy. We all get in and the pilot begins to have us take off._

_"Aww, come on. I'm going to die and I don't even get to enjoy the ride there?" Eli says as the woman ties a blindfold on him. I want to slap him for talking back to her, but she laughs good naturedly._

_"Tell you what? I'll let you watch us take off," she says, untieing our blindfolds. I'm amazed._

_"Isn't this just the coolest? I've always wanted to ride in a helicopter!" Eli exclaims, looking joyful for a moment. He doesn't even become solemn as the blindfolds go back on._

_"Eli Leone, you are the most lovely tribute I've ever had the honor to accompany," she says, sighing. I suddenly wonder if she's tired of bringing the tributes to their doom. Especially young and carefree boys like Eli._

_"Isn't he just a charmer?" I tell her, putting my arm around Eli even though I can't see a thing. He tenses up, but then relaxes. He's probably confused about my idea...even I'm confused about it._

_"Aw well aren't you two cute."_

_"Yep, the best of friends. We'll stick together no matter what," Eli says, catching on. He laughs and I follow along. The passenger cabin suddenly gets very silent, and I can tell the woman is upset when I hear a sniffle. I've noticed Capitol people are very sensitive._

_"I'd never tell anyone this, but this is truly a terrible job. I hate it," the woman says. Score._

_"I don't think I'd like it either," I say, hoping this isn't over the top._

_"It's a lot easier when the tributes are all sullen and angry looking, but when they're so hopeful like you guys..."_

_"Sorry. We're just trying to be optimistic," Eli says to her. I hear her start to cry softly. Wow._

_"I know, dears. It's just a little sad that's all. Don't worry though, you two will surely do well with such great attitudes!" she says, trying to make herself feel better more than us._

_"I just hope lots of sponsors decide to help us, then maybe we'll stand a chance!" Eli says. This seems really over the top, but the woman doesn't seem to think so._

_"Oh, me too. You both are just so cute!" Eli tightens his grip on my shoulders and I know he wants to get information out of her as much as I do. Who knows how helpful it will be? She seems like she might work closely with the Gamemakers if she's here to guard us. I don't know how to really touch this woman though._

_"Thanks," I say, almost showing how frustrated I am._

_"Oh, we're here," the woman says, taking off our blindfolds. I see the frustration in his eyes that I know I'm mirroring. All that for nothing. Then suddenly, I remember something that's worked in the past for some of the contestants, and I take a chance before it's too late._

_I lean in an kiss Eli gently on the lips. Nothing serious, just enough to make the woman upset again. She looks so suprised you would have thought I was a duck kissing a squirrel._

_"Let's go, together," I say looking at Eli intently. He looks a little muddled, but manages a nod. The woman starts to get upset again, and Eli suddenly gets it. He grabs my hand for extra measure._

_"Together," he says, looking at me in a way that would have convinced any broadway actor. The woman looks close to tears._

_"Oh I knew it! Just they way you were! Oh my this is quite tragic," she says. We both nod in agreement about the tragic part._

_"Well, thanks for the escort. Come on Auden," Eli says, pulling me to go meet the security guard who came to meet us. Suddenly, the woman reaches out and touches me on the arm. I turn around to she her looking determinedly at the pair of us._

_"Don't use the underground passages in the arena unless they're marked with a star," she says in a whisper. Eli and I both nod, excited that our plan worked._

_"Thank you," Eli says letting go of my hand to shake hers. She reluctantly accepts it, but looks happier._

_"Now go, before the guard suspects anything," she says, shooing us around and putting on her best annoyed face. She's pretty good at that one._

_"Score," I say to him. He smiles and grabs my hand again._

_"She's still watching us," Eli says to explain the grabbing._

_"Oh, right," I say trying to ingore that he's holding my hand with his warm, comforting grasp. With all the information we've gotten, I feel like we might be better off that I first expected as the guard leads us into a building and takes us down in an evevator. Maybe it's not game over yet._


	8. Chapter 8

_All I can think about it the plan. If I think about anything else, I get too nervous._

_When the sixty seconds on the platform are up, run and grab the nearest supplies. Avoid conflict. Run in the direction of the forest, wherever that will be. Meet Eli and Nico using the whistle we made up. Find shelter. _

_This is what is going on over and over in my brain as a guard loads me into the capsule like elevator that will take me up to the arena._

_"Stay on the platform for sixty seconds or else a land mine will initiate. Any questions?" the guard says in a droning voice. So much for Capitol people being sensitive._

_"I think I'm good, thanks...Falcon?" I say, reading his name tag. He grunts, and pushes a button, closing me inside the elevator. Who names their kid after a bird? Anyways, I feel myself rising and know I'm about to embark into the arena. Suddenly, the blank, gray walls of the elevator seem to disapear, revealing glass. I notice a green button on the floor. But that's not the most disturbing realization. The fact that I'm in a glass capsule underwater is a little more frightening. I guess I should have learned to swim when I had the chance._

_When I was about five years old my dad tried to teach me in a lake in the woods. It's forbidden to go in there, but nobody really follows that old rule anyways. Our Peacekeepers don't do anything about it, anyways. My dad managed to coax me into the water, but I couldn't even doggie paddle. It just didn't come naturally, which is going to be a huge problem now. Thanks a lot stupid Gamemakers. I'm going to die without even trying._

_All I can remember is that you flap around your arms and eventually something happens. I'm surrounded by water and it must be atleast twenty feet before you'd break the surface. _

_Then I remember the green button. Maybe if I press this, it will become scuba diving gear or something. That has to be it! Certainly they Gamemakers wouldn't want all the tributes to die under water before any action happens._

_And with this poor reasoning to guide me, I press the button. The capsule disapears from around me and I'm surrounded underwater without any gills to help me along. I can't see anything, and my only hope is that somehow I can find my way to the top. _

_After about twenty seconds, I'm losing my consiousness. I can't hold my breath underwater at all! I'm hopeless! My life flashes before my eyes; Thisbe's smile, my mom and dad holding me close, days spent happily playing as a child, one nice Thanksgiving we managed to get a turkey, and the time the neighbors dog chased me into a tree and I skinned my knee. I know that's a little random, but when life is flashing before your eyes you don't exactly get to select the moments you see. As the memories fade, I swirl into darkness. Maybe this death was more merciful anways._

* * *

_"She's dead. We have to move on. She wouldn't want us to be all mopey," I hear a voice say._

_"You're giving up too quickly," I hear another voice say. Then, I feel someone push my stomach in. I feel like I might throw up._

_Actually, I do throw up._

_"Unbelievable," the first voice says again. It sounds pissed._

_"I told you so," the second voice says as I regain conciousness and sight._

_"What is going on?" I ask my two allies. Eli is sitting beside me, so he must be the one who pumped my stomach. Nico is standing with his arms folded, but as soon as he hears me he comes to sit on my other side._

_"You nearly drowned, Auden," Eli says, laughing a little now that he's sure I'm fine._

_"You would have drowned if I didn't pluck you out of the water!" Nico says. _

_"You're the one who wanted to leave her behind!" Eli mutters._

_"I saved her, you woke her up. We were a team," Nico replies cooly._

_"Thanks, both of you," I say, unable to grasp that these two saved me. Now I can't imagine not having allies. They both nod._

_"So, do you like our hideout?" Eli asks, motioning around us. For the first time I realize that we must be in one of the underground rooms that the helicopter woman must have been talking about._

_"Not bad. Are we stuck here?" I ask._

_"If someone finds us, we're screwed," Nico responds._

_"There was another entrance, but it didn't have a star. I saw someone go in there right as we were running by. I wonder what happened to him." Eli ponders._

_"I guess we'll find out tonight," I say, refering to the nightly viewings of the dead in the sky. The tributes who died that day are projected into the night sky for all the tributes to view._

_"Well, we'd best get some shut eye. I'll take first watch," Nico says, retreating up a tunnel that must lead to the outside world. I realize the cake-like hideout has become slightly darker, so it must be night already._

_"Auden, I don't feel safe," Eli says as he hands me a thin sleeping back. I ingore him, figuring he's going to complain about Nico again._

_"Where did you get the sleeping bags?"_

_"Well, before we left the Cornacopia we snagged two backpacks. They each had some dried fruit, dried meat, a sleeping ba,and water jugs."_

_"Any weapons?"_

_"Nico got two knives. Other than that, no," Eli replies. After this we don't talk anymore, and I fall asleep quickly because of my lack of rest. I fall into a deep and dreamless sleep, thinking about tomorrow's unknowns._

* * *

_"Hey, Eli. Can you take watch now?" I hear Nico ask him. Eli yawns, but I hear him leave our hideaway. I squint my eyes open and see Nico getting into Eli's abandoned sleeping bag. I close my eyes to fall asleep again, but then I hear a sniffle coming from his side of the room._

_"Nico, are you crying?" I ask him. He sits up in his sleeping bag when he hears me awake._

_"Sorry if I woke you."_

_"Are you ok?" I ask him. He looks away._

_"My friend died," he says quietly. I realize he must have been awake to watch the dead faces flash in the night sky._

_"I'm so sorry," I say, truly empathetic. His handsome face is twisted in pain._

_"It's to be expected I guess. It wasn't love or anything, but we were good friends."_

_"I understand. I'd feel the same about you and Eli," I tell him, realizing I'm sincere. They're my friends now. They have to be._

_"Especially Eli I reckon," Nico mutters._

_"Why do you always say that?"_

_"Look, I have to know for real. Are you two together or not?"_

_"No! We never have been. I don't know why people keep thinking that."_

_"Really?"_

_"Really."_

_"Then you wouldn't mind if I did this?" he asks, leaning in and kissing me. My second kiss in twenty four hours, but somehow this one is different._

_"Nope. I'm not taken, Nico."_

_"Then I may as well tell you, I've wanted you since I saw you pick up a sword," he says, leaning in again. Something tells me to push him away, but I can't. His handsome quirkiness hasn't gotten by me. However, he realizes I'm uncomfortable._

_"Auden, tell me to stop and I will," he says, but it almost seems like he might not._

_"I don't want you to," I say, initiating the kiss this time. I can feel him smile as we kiss in the darkness, alone but being watched by the Capitol. And I could care less about them._


End file.
